Improvement in car-couplings



J. S. BELL.

Car Coupling.

Patented June 21, 1864.

722% cases; a 0

MPETERS. PHOTO L THOGRAF UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. BELL, OF HAOKETTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JNO.MITCHELL AND JAS. MARLETT, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COU PLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 43, l 75, dated June21, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. BELL, of Hackettstown, in the county ofWarren and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and ImprovedOar-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and. exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin'the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line atm, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same, taken in the liney y, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved car coupling of that classwhich are commonly termed self-coupling, and it consists in a novelarrangement of parts for keeping the link or shackle in aproper positionforentcring the draw-head of an adjoining car; and it further consistsin a novel arrangement of a pin and slide arranged in such a manner thatthe slide will sustain the pin when the former is raised, and the slidebe capable of being forced back by the entering link of the draw-head ofan adjoining car, so that the pin may drop within the link and form aconnection, as hereinafter set forth.

A represents a draw-head, which may be of rectangular form and securedin the usual or in any proper way to the car. On the top of thisdraw-head, near its front end, there is a vertical tube, B, in which apin, 0, is fitted and allowed to work freely up and down; and D is aslide which works in grooves or guides on at the under side, I), of thetop plate of the draw-head, said slide having a pendent bar, E, attachedto it, which extends down nearly to the bottom 0 of the draw-head, andhas a roller, 0?, at its lower end, which rests upon the bottom 0.

F is a spring, which bears against the back end of the slide D, and hasa tendency to keep said slide shoved forward underneath the tube B, andthe pendent bar E against a block, G, on the bottom 0 of the draw-bar,as shown in red in Fig. 1.

H is a shaft, which passes transversely through the draw-head A anddirectly over the block G. This shaft H has an arm, I, attached to it,which projects forward in a recess, (1, in the top of the block G, andhas a notch, 0, made in it to receive one end of a link or shackle, Iwhich is retained in the notch e by a spring, J, attached to the shaftH, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This shaft H is allowed to turn freely inits bearings, but is retained at any desired point by a spring, K, whichbears against a crank, L, at one end of the shaft. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

From the above description it will be seen that when thepin O is raisedabove the slide D the spring F will force the slide underneath the tubeB and hold up the pin, and When the link or shackle I of the draw-headof an adjoining car enters the drawhead containing the elevated pin 0,the entering link or shackle will strike the pendent bar E and force theslide D so that the pin will drop within the link orshackle and rest ina step, f, in the top of the block G.

The link or shackle which connects the two draw-heads, it will beunderstood, is secured at one end in one of the draw-heads by the notchaim the arm I in said draw-head, while the opposite end of the link issecured in the other draw-head by its pin C.

By turning the shaft H the outer end of the linker sh tCklG in onedraw-head may be raised or lowered to suit the height of the draw-headof an adjoining car, and thereby insure the entering of the link. This.is essential, as cars vary materially in height, and unless someprovision be made for the variation a connection could not in manyinstances be effected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The slide D, with pendent bar E attached, in combination with thespring F, block G, pin 0, and link or shackle I, all arrangedsubstantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The shaft H, with the arm I attached, provided with a notch, e, thespring J, for holding the link or shackle in the notch, and theretaining or holding spring K, or its equivalent, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

JOHN S. BELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN B. TITUS, LABAN MATHEWSON.

